Chapter 1

After seven years of loving him and getting nothing back, I was finally done with Leo Sterling.

I moved back to my hometown, Havenwood, and found someone who actually liked me to marry.

But on my wedding day, Leo showed up out of nowhere.

He brought his guys and crashed the whole thing.

He pressed a gun to my husband's head and threatened him, "You got a death wish, marrying my girl?"

……

Right after I posted the news on Instagram, my phone buzzed with a call from a friend.

"Chloe, I hear you're getting married? For real?"

I was sorting through the guest list for the wedding, and I answered without looking up, "It's for real."

My friend laughed loud on the other end of the line.

I could hear other people with him.

"You're a terrible liar, you know that? That Insta post was just to get Leo’s attention, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, Chloe, Leo pissed you off, but are you really going to ghost all of us, too?"

Hearing Leo's name again made me pause for a second, but I snapped out of it quick.

I explained softly, "It wasn't for him. I'm really getting married."

I’d deleted and blocked Leo on everything the day I left New York.

Everyone I knew could see that post, except for him.

My friend still didn't buy it.

He called out Leo's name, his voice dripping with amusement.

"Leo, you hear that? If you don't go get your girl, she's really gonna marry someone else."

That’s when I realized Leo was right there, listening to the whole call.

These rich kids always followed Leo's lead.

They only pretended to be my friends because of him.

In New York, I was always on my own, with no family and no real friends.

"If she really wants to get married, I'll fly down to Havenwood and buy them a wedding gift myself."

Leo's voice was casual, disinterested.

Even through the phone, I could picture him lounging, looking bored.

Someone next to him joked, "She's just doing this to force you to make it official, man."

"She's been crazy about you for years. Giving her a title isn't asking too much."

Leo's voice was cold. "She's just a friend. What kind of title does she need?"

Seven years I'd trailed after Leo Sterling, and to him, I was still just a friend.

Maybe that's just how his Upper East Side circle worked.

Maybe they kiss their "just friends," and do everything else a couple would do with their "just friends."

He was the one who tempted me to cross that line in the first place.

And he was the one who kept pushing me away with that "just friends" excuse.

The scrape of a chair on the floor sounded sharp and grating.

I frowned and pulled the phone away from my ear.

When I put it back, I caught Leo's parting shot before he left, "Tell her if she's not back by tomorrow, she shouldn't bother coming back at all."

I lowered my head, hiding a bitter little smile.

His friends started trying to talk me down. "Just stop fighting with Leo, okay? Come on back."

All the other times I'd fought with Leo, I was always the one who caved first, running back to make up with him.

I used to think that when you love someone, you shouldn't give up easily.

But when you collect enough disappointment, there's a moment you finally realize how little you're worth to them.

The voices on the phone were a chaotic mess, all of them telling me to go back and apologize to Leo.

"Chloe, just stop messing around."

I forced a weak smile, my voice strangely calm.

"I'm not messing around."

"This time it's real. I'm getting married."

"The wedding is next Tuesday. You're all welcome to come."

They still couldn't believe it.

"How is that possible?"

"You've loved Leo for seven years. How could you stand to marry someone else?"

Yeah, I loved Leo for seven years.

So how did I finally find the strength to let go?